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From 2009 to 2014, compensation expenditure has accounted for over 70 percent of spending on education -- leaving little for infrastructural development and assets to improve quality delivery of education in the country.

Many experts have argued that the state of the country's education will restrict its ability to transform the economy from a middle-income one -- with the current HIPC infrastructure, low total factor productivity and weak systems -- to the status of a developed economy.

This year’s university admissions have witnessed a major cut-down of intake as a result of limited facilities and human resources.

The University of Ghana rejected 17,524 qualified students, representing almost 50 percent of the 2015/16 academic year admissions as a result of limited facilities.

The university received a total of 35,630 application and was able to offer admission to only 18,106 applicants.

The University of Professional Studies (UPSA) also reduced admissions for this year, by 18 percent on similar grounds of limited facilities.

Out of a total of 7,234 applicants UPSA admitted 3,582 -- representing 49.5 percent of the number that applied.

Almost all the major universities are reducing intake, and this will cause qualified students who would otherwise must be in school to be idle at a time the country needs human-resources for development and to achieve its aim of turning the country into an industrialised one.

Students now suffer for the mismanagement of education funds by way of being denied university education, irrespective of the fact that he/she passed exams conducted by the West African Examination Council.

Monies which are meant to be used for improving assets and infrastructure in the education sector are mostly used to pay salaries and compensation.

Despite the fact that education expenditure has been increasing from year to year, improvements in education infrastructure and assets remain inadequate.

Total expenditure on education in 2014 was GH¢6.6billion, which represents an almost 100 percent increase from GH?3.6billion in 2013. The education expenditure to GoG expenditure ratio showed an average 22.2 percent for the period under review.

Expenditure on education as a percentage of total GDP was 5.3percent in 2009, 5.5 percent in 2010, 6.3 percent in 2011, 7.9 percent in 2012, 6.1percent in 2013 and 5.85 percent in 2014.

In 2014 compensation expenditure was GH?5.1billion representing an 18.6 percent increase on the previous year’s compensation expenditure of GH¢4.3billion.

Festus Ankrah, a research assistant at IMANI Ghana -- a policy think-tank, said education serves as the source of skilled human resource required to support the productive sectors of the economy.

Therefore, he said, the education system of a country should be one that seeks to aid the country’s development since its social, cultural, political, health and religious well-being is dependent on how the benefits inherent in education are tapped.

According to him, the objectives of education in Ghana under the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS II) and the Ghana Shared Growth Development Agenda (GSGDA) are in sync with attainment of the Education for All (EFA) goals and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and aim to propel Ghana toward attaining middle-income status.

A summary of the key issues from across all policy frameworks include: improving equitable access to education and participation in quality education at all levels; improving quality of teaching and learning; bridging the gender gap in access to education; improving access to quality education for people with disabilities; and promoting science and technology at all levels of education.